Brooks tells me he preferred to be called Garth growing up because “My grandpa's name was Troyal and my dad's name was Troyal, and I didn't want to be Troyal III.”

By the way, aside from all the concerts and CDs and spring-training appearances, some of Brooks' favorite memories come from his two stints on “Saturday Night Live.”

Brooks proved to be a talented comedic actor on “SNL,” including one hysterical sketch with the great actor Robert Duvall in which Brooks and Duvall tried to outdo each other for “Who's More Grizzled?”

How did Brooks keep a straight face during the take?

“Oh, you don't dare laugh around a guy like Robert,” Brooks said. “He's too good. You just be thankful you're there.”